Beyond Never Never
by Rally Collins
Summary: An unusual crossover in which a pixie and a pilot meet.
1. Prelude

**Beyond Never Never**  
Prelude

Never Neverland, the world of dreams, held in her loving arms the Forever Children in eternal play. Everything about her was designed to make the Forever Children happy in their quest to never never grow old.

Her work was splendid. The Forever Children grew in number and Never Neverland felt herself grow happy. Then something happened that never never happened before. A part of Never Neverland fell in love with one of the Forever Children. This part broke away and became independent due to her love for the Forever Child, Peter Pan.


	2. Chapter One

**Beyond Never Never**  
Chapter One: Tinkerbell

Tinkerbell flipped over, squeezing her eyes against the mental image of Peter's face twisted in disgust, disgust for _her_.

Peter.

She hadn't _meant_ to do that to the Wendy. She _tried_ not to.

Alright! Alright. She didn't try _that_ hard, but she shouldn't have had to. Why couldn't Peter see? Why didn't he know that _she_ was the one who loved him?

"It has been years since that incident, my child."

_I know, mother._

"You are apart from them. The Lost Boys are just that. Lost."

_I know, mother._

"Then why do you dwell on what could never never be?"

_I..._ Tinkerbell's thoughts froze.

"Exactly. You don't know."

Her heart spasmed. How could she not know? Peter had been gone for a very long time and still she couldn't let go.

_He's gone, mother. Now what am I supposed to do?_

"What is left here for you?"

Tinkerbell delved. Peter was her reason for being. He created her. He gave her what she needed to think and feel. If Never Neverland gave her life, Peter gave her LIFE.

But, still, he never never cared and more for her than he did for any of the Never Never. The Lost Boys were his family and she... She was his pet. His pet that could not stop loving him.

"Why do you cry?"

She wasn't crying. She-

Patches of tears sprinkled the dandelion fluff she used as a pillow.

_I see him everywhere. At the tree house. At the ocean. I hear his voice crowing at the dawn and I cannot forget that I am merely a cat._

"A cat?"

_Peter's little pet pixie._

"Perhaps you should leave me."

_Leave? Mother, I could never never do that._

"And I never never thought you could fall in love and yet that has come to be."

_But-_

"Never never say 'but' and never never say 'never.'"

Tinkerbell found she had nothing to say but either 'but' or 'never' and kept silent.

"For one to reach me, he would fly to the second star on the right and straight on until morning, but for one to find happiness she would fly wherever her heart leads her."

Never Neverland held nothing Tinkerbell needed, nothing she desired and Peter... Peter was probably long dead by now. He grew up, faded away.

_All right, mother._


	3. Chapter Two

**Beyond Never Never**  
Chapter Two: Tinkerbell

This place was wonderful. The skies were never never cloudy, but the sun still wasn't too hot. The trees swayed in the gentle breeze, while songbirds belted out tunes in an attempt to out do each other. It was wonderful and Tinkerbell found herself smiling for the first time since nearly forever.

She couldn't remember exactly how she'd gotten to Paradise. After leaving her mother, her tears wouldn't stop and she flew blindly for days at a time. Well, she was pretty sure it was days at a time, but nighttime seemed to last an awful long time away from Never Neverland. Then today she woke up to a picturesque sunrise and knew she was _there_. 'There' of course being where she was intending to be when she started out. She was where her mother said happiness awaited.

The breeze and sunlight felt wonderful against her skin, so she flew as fast as she could, breaking through the canopy above and plummeting back down to skim the surface of the forest floor. Her hair fell out of it's loose bun to stream behind her in a banner of sparkling gold.

She reveled in the feeling of absolute freedom. Flying haphazardly through Never Neverland usually got her caught by either one of the Lost Boys or by the Pirates or lectured by her mother.

It was perfect.

* * *

"It's a _fairy!_"

"I told ya ta keep yer voice _down_! I've got plans fer this beauty and I don't want them messed with!"

"Sorry."

_Fairy! FAIRY! Do I _look_ like a stupid, blood-sucking, paisley-faced FAIRY? I'm a pixie! P-I-X-I-E!_ Tinkerbell planted her fists on her hips and ineffectually kicked at the bottom weave of the rattan basket that had become her cage. _Stupid humans! You can't even hear me, can you?_

"-Western branch. Ya know that's the perfect place."

"Yeah. Lieutenant Moira's gonna love it!"

_Scaly humans! Don't talk when I'm yelling at you!_

The sounds around the basket filled with voices and the two men's chatter died to nil. They must have hit a town.

Tinkerbell shouted fifteen or twenty more 'Scaly humans' before the basket was dumped onto something hard. The pixie picked herself up and attacked the rattan in another futile round.

"Lieutenant Moira? We've got somethin' fer ya."

"Something more WHAT, Brash?" came a distinctly annoyed feminine voice. "I haven't time to play your games."

"It's best viewed with yer own eyes."

"Brash, this better be good!"

_Oh, please open the basket. I won't run away, I promise... ... I have every intention of flying away!_

"Jes one second. Don't want the quarry escapin', do we?"

"Brash!" the Lieutenant's voice held a final warning note.

"Relax, Lt. Moira. It's worth the wait."

The lid shifted sending a single trail of light across Tinkerbell's bobblied shoes. She crouched, flexing her wings in preparation for flight.

"One..." said Brash, rattling the lid. "Two..." Something thin and transparent slipped in between the lid and the top of the basket.

_No!_ The pixie jumped up, latching her fingers onto the sharp edge, but she managed to hang on. She fluttered her wings a bit for loft. If she could just get herself above the bottom lid, she could escape when Brash took off the top one. Her grip slipped landing her hard on her tailbone. She sprung for the edge again, but it was too late.

"Three..." The lid flew off completely, revealing the faces of her abductors for the first time.

Brash still had the rattan lid in his piggy hands and his lips twisted into a rotten-toothed grin when he spotted her looking at him. His companion was considerably younger than Brash. He couldn't have been more than four years older than Peter. In fact, he looked a bit like Peter. Brown hair. Brown eyes. Wiry build. He was even dressed in a healthy shade of green and-

She stopped herself there. Peter wasn't the issue at the moment.

"Ah..." Lt. Moira put her nose almost to barrier to the see through lid, smiling ear to ear. Her dusty blond hair was pulled into a severe bun at the nape of her neck and she wore white gloves like she had a fear of uncleanliness. "A pixie." Her voice was so calm, so absolutely sure that Tinkerbell was positive Moira had visited Never Neverland as a child. "Tell me, Brash, Wester," she began in a lazy voice, despite the excitement exploding in her face, "do you know what pixies are good for?"

"Granting wishes?" Wester hazarded.

Brash smacked the back of the boy's head. "That's genies, you goit! Pixies give you eternal youth!"

"Close, my thick-skulled annoyance, but wrong. There are three things pixies are good for. One..." She held up her index finger. "They can give you the ability to fly. Providing, of course, you have a happy thought. Two..." Her middle finger joined the index. "They're excellent watchers. They were specifically created for watching, just like prison guards. And three..." A third finger rose. "They are eternally youthful."

Tinkerbell just pulled short of gasping, though she couldn't force her head to stop swinging back and forth. _Not even the Lost Boys knew why we pixies hung around. Watchers... We were created to watch over the Forever Children and report to Never Neverland any problems. No one knew that. No one._

_Don't overestimate the power of the Never Never, little pixie,_ came Lt. Moira's voice in Tinkerbell's head. _It was easy to find out all of the Never Never's secrets. Easier yet to escape._

_Escape? Why would you need to escape?_

_I see,_ Moira chewed her bottom lip, _she set you free. Try being a Pirate and getting _that_ kind of treatment, little pixie!_

Pirate? Moira was a pirate? How?

"But you must forget about that, little one. Freedom is never never eternal."


	4. Chapter Three

**Beyond Never Never**  
Chapter Three: Wufei

The last branch fell into place, sealing the thick blanket of foliage around a huge gundanium mechanoid. Wufei stepped back to double check his handiwork. It was as flawless as could be expected. 

"Take care of yourself, Nataku," he said hiking a backpack full of various explosives onto his shoulder. 

He scowled. This was stupid. It was merely a ploy to get him out of the way. Everyone knew this colony had no dealings with Oz. The place couldn't even hold a proper orbit it was so far off of Earth's gravitational pull. It was generally ignored as if it didn't exist. 

_It was the perfect place to set up an operation._

No, it was probably Maxwell playing one of his stupid games. If there were an Oz base on this colony, Wufei would eat his sword. Maxwell... 

"Wha's th' matter, sir?" A tiny fireball forced her way into Wufei's vision. Her orangish hair ran down her back in a single braid and dirty spots covered her red and yellow dress. "No' feelin' too well? Ya don' look too sick." 

He must be near the town. Little girls don't tend to stray too far from their homes. "Go home." 

"Well, wasn't tha a bit harsh? Ya coulda said, 'Hello, li'l gel. I feels fine,' or even, 'HELP! I needs a doctor!' but no, you say, 'Go 'ome!' Tha's not very nice, is it?" She now wore an expression akin to Heero's when he was in a particularly murderous mood. 

"I don't like nosey little girls." 

"Ya don' much like gels a t'all, be my guess." She peered into his eyes for a moment before pulling back and crossing her arms. "Name's Angelina, but ya can call me Lina. Call me Angie and die." 

"You're six years old, I'm really scared." 

"Seven!" 

"Alright then seven." He hid a smile. Most kids would have been crying or running home by now, but she was still waiting for his answer. "I'm not sick. I feel fine. How are you? Pleasure to meet you, Miss Angelina. I must be going." 

Lina smiled, jumping in front of him to keep him from leaving. "Ya talk funny. Where'er ya from?" 

"Long story." 

"M'a kid. I likes stories." She grabbed his arm, pulling him to the ground. "Righ'! Story time!" 

This child was insane. Or was she? A thought suddenly struck Wufei. 

"I do not play games, child," he said drawing his sword. Little Miss Angelina already had a handgun pointing at his head. 

"Drop it. Ain't worth yer life, is it?" He let his sword fall. "Now stand up nice and slowly." He did. 

A child. A CHILD! Wufei you're loosing your touch. Anger burned behind his skull. Captured by a child. 

The only truly good thing about the cell was that it stank. The stench was actually a stimulant capable of keeping Wufei awake all through the next few days and nights. Awake was good. For some strange reason Wufei was sure that if he fell asleep he'd wake up in a bonfire. So, he sat rock solid against the wall waiting for his captor to show up. 

Angelina, it turned out, was a city guard on patrol in the Edge Park sector. She was posted there to intercept anyone who looked as if they didn't belong. Wufei would have passed inspection if this were a normal colony, but it wasn't. 

The people who founded the colony christened it New Britain, the capital New London and the people of New Britain entertained a slight fantasy. They imagined their world to be that of Nineteenth Century Britain with accompanying decor and dress. 

Wufei in his "modern" dress and with his distinctly _not_ British features was immediately spotted as an "Otherworlder." This, he surmised, was a crime punishable by death. But, there was still the trial to go through. Wufei's wait was due to the judge and defending attorney being indisposed. 

"Jes four more days. " It was Angelina. The girl had taken to visiting Wufei every morning. Wufei had taken to ignoring her. "Wasn' me fault, you wanderin' in. It's me job. It's wha' I was born fer. Ya understand, don' ya?" Her fingers slid around the bars. "I was gonna let ya go, I was." 

That was new. 

"I don' think it's righ'. But then... Ya... Ya were so mean ta me. 'Go 'ome!' ... Like I gots a 'ome. Wouldn't even be 'ere now 'f it weren't fer the Brits needin' a new guard. Ya _understand_ wha' I'm sayin', don' ya?" 

That seemed very important to her. That he understands. Trying to absolve herself of guilt. "It's not that easy," were his first words in three days. 

She looked up. Her eyes matched the red bits of her dress, swollen and sad. "Wha' isn't?" 

"If I die, the guilt will eat you for the rest of your years. You will die with the name Chang Wufei on your lips." 

Horror struck her features. "But, it wasn' me fault!" 

"Wasn't it? Do you even care why I'm here? Do they?" 

Angelina glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one had come in from behind. Her face grew hard. "In this place, ya do wha' yer told. Ya don' question an order and ya don' have a righ' ta think fer yerself." 

A seven year old should not be in the position to say such things. 

"Do ya even care why _I's_ here? Ya come into this place, with yer frozen face and fancy trimmins an' find a li'l gel, all alone in th' woods an' wha' do ya do? Ya tell 'er ta go 'ome." 

What does she know? She's seven. "It won't work on me." 

"Wha' won', Mister Wufei, sir? Tha' TRUTH! I cames ta apologize, ta say I's sorry fer sommat I can' do anythin' about!" 

"The truth. What do you know about the truth?" 

She pushed herself away from the bars. "Th' truth is that everyone has a price, even seven year olds." She slid the sleeve of her dress up past her elbow to expose a barcode. "This is me ID. It means I have NO right ta do anythin' I's no' told ta do. But I comes 'ere everyday ta say I's sorry. I never caught anyone before. I don' expect ya ta take my apologies, jes ta acknowlege I said them." She covered her arm again and swept back through the door before Wufei could stop her. 

"Well, that settles that," he muttered. "Oz is definitely not on this colony." 

Angelina... 

How could someone so young have that type of knowledge? And what exactly was her "price"? 


	5. Chapter Four

**Beyond Never Never**  
Chapter Four: Angelina

From the treetops a small orange flower could be seen shaking uncontrollably. From the ground it was apparent that the flower was not a flower but the top of a small child's head. The girl had pulled herself into a ball, arms around her exposed knees, face cradled in the basket of her chest and legs.

_"You will die with the name Chang Wufei on your lips."_

Damnit! Why did he have to be right? His death would haunt her until her dying day and there wasn't a single thing she could do to prevent it.

"But, it wasn't me fault." There was no ring behind the words. Even to Angelina's ears they fell flat.

Lies... All lies... It _was_ her fault. She could have tried harder to distract him, to confuse him and send him on his way before he knew what was up. She could have played dumb when the suspicion flashed ever so slightly through his coal eyes instead of reaching for her gun. She could have-

But she didn't. She didn't and there was a boy in jail right now waiting for his death sentence to be announced. He was probably cold, scared, alone and nauseous from that awful smelling cell and it was all _her_ fault.

_Where did I go wrong?_


	6. Chapter Five

**Beyond Never Never**  
Chapter Five: Wufei

Wufei came awake from a strange dream in which he'd been talking to a small ball of light. The cell's stench must have finally been getting to him.

"Wufei?... Wufei?" came an insistent whisper.

The pilot squinted into the darkness beyond the bars of his cozy little haven until a child sized silhouette appeared. "Angelina? What are you doing here?"

"I just told you. Don't you remember?"

It wasn't possible that he could have slept through anything she'd said and there was something wrong with her accent. "Humor me."

"Can't you remember anything I've just told you?"

Wufei climbed to his feet. "Stop stalling. Either tell me, show me or leave."

She took a deep breath. "You're sure?"

Annoying child. "Yes."

"Cover your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

Correction: Pushy annoying child.

He slid an arm over his eyes. Light exploded silently, but Wufei dropped immediately to the floor, covering his head with both arms.

"Get up. We need to go now." Angelina's voice was wrong. It no longer fit the seven-year-old body. It was still her voice, but somehow older.

Wufei split his shield of arms to find not a seven-year old red head standing in the middle of a hole in the bars, but a young woman, perhaps thirteen or fourteen with unbound golden hair that fell to her knees. The face... Now, _that_ belonged to Angelina and the soft blue eyes which could fill with anger in less than a second, those were Angelina's as well.

He swallowed. "Who are you?"

Puzzlement crossed her face momentarily, and then surprise glided in. "Ah! I'm not seven anymore!" She cast Wufei a look of pure happiness, and then groped around for some hair. "Blond? It's blond!" Her smile illuminated the inside of the cell. It was the most sincere expression Wufei had seen since her angry outburst before she'd arrested him.

But wait! That was Angelina. This? This was...

"Who are you?" he repeated.

Her smile shriveled. "Oh, Wufei. I'm sorry. I forgot with _this_ happening. Do you know how long... Never mind. I _am_ Angelina, but I was this first."

"And what does that mean?"

She cast a glance over her shoulder. "Just trust me for now." Her hand shot out beseechingly. "I can get you out of here."

Refusing escape, even if a woman controlled it, was stupidity. As soon as Wufei's fingers slid around Angelina's, the girl took off down the corridor like cyclone. At the end of the row, she pulled the pilot into a cleaning closet, closed the door and leaned on it.

"If I get you back to that spot in the park that we met, can you get off this colony."

"I can."

She looked worried. "Will you? Leave I mean. Whatever you came here for, can't be more important than your life."

"There are a great many things I do that are more important than my life, but you're right. What I came here for was a waste of time. It was a distraction, I'm sure. So, I _will_ leave. My mission is complete."

She closed her eyes for only a moment and when they opened determination oozed from her pores. "Alright, then. Just do what I say, when I say it without questioning me and you will get off this hunk of drifting metal."

Do what she says, when she says it? A woman? Not-

"I _know_ you don't like women or doing what they say and that it will be extremely difficult to follow my instructions. I even know that if I still looked like a seven-year old it would be hard, but you can't get back to Edge Park without me."

"Onna, I don't think-"

"Don' think, Mr. Wufei, sir. Jes do. Please. It's stupid throwin' yer life away fer th' sake of pride, isn't it? I need yer help, ta help ya."

A lowly trick. Damn, why was it working? Whatever the girl was she wasn't a helpless seven-year old, begging for forgiveness. She wasn't the child who stood up to his cold replies to make him come closer to truly smiling than anyone had since before Meiran died.

Listening to a woman. Wufei what are you thinking? "Alright."

She nodded. "Cover your eyes again."

He did, managing not to grumble when the light struck again. Angelina grabbed his arm and yanked him through a newly cut hole in the back wall.

"I've changed my question," he said jogging beside her. "_What_ are you?"

"A pi- A product of a very complex situation, but aren't we all? Come on. It's this way." She dove into the trees and picked up her speed to a pace that would have Olympic athletes drooling in envy. It was all Wufei could do to keep from loosing her.

But after twenty or so minutes he did loose sight of her. He ground onward assuming she'd continue the straight path she'd been following earlier. She had to be somewhere ahead.

The trees were getting closer together and it was increasingly difficult to continue a completely straight path and the moon had set, leaving the park in near pitch.

Someone screamed just ahead. It was Angelina.

Wufei slowed his run to slink closer to the cries. A conversation emerged in hushed tones. "You lied to me, pixie," stated a female voice. "You said there was no connection with her anymore."

"I didn't lie." This in Angelina's voice.

"Then why do you look like this again?"

He had to get closer to see this other woman and what she was doing to Angelina. His fingers ached for the reassuring cool metal of a handgun. Finally, he hit the edge of a small clearing and caught the scene. Angelina was on the ground, hands tied to her ankles, but she didn't really look injured. Two unarmed guards kept a lookout at opposite ends of the clearing and the owner of the other voice, an antiseptic-looking woman, towered over Angelina with a grimace on her otherwise pretty face.

"I will not ask again. When did you resume contact with her?"

"I _haven't_! She hasn't contacted me. I haven't spoken to her, seen her or felt her influence since I left her. I don't know why I've reverted to this form."

"And the boy? Was how you helped him escape just a fluke, too? How long have you known you could do that? Explain."

"No." It was a feather light response.

"No? NO?" The woman grabbed a handful of golden hair in her white-gloved hand, cranking Angelina's head up to nearly the woman's face. "You do _not_ tell me no."

Angelina whispered something that earned her a slap.

That was enough. Wufei slid around to the first guard, quietly dispatched him and moved around to deliver the same treatment to the other.

"I'm through," he heard Angelina say, in that same feather-touch way.

The woman reached back to land another blow when the pilot caught her wrist. "Onna," he warned, "that is not the thing to do to those weaker than you."

The woman blinked at him, then laughed. "Weaker? That's good. That's really good. Just think of the holes in the cell door and the wall back at the jail. You call that weak?"

"No. I call her weak for not doing the same to you."

"Really? What is today's youth coming to? Well, pixie, are you weak?"


	7. Chapter Six

**Beyond Never Never**  
Chapter Six: Tinkerbell

"Well, pixie, are you weak?" Moira's audio sneer was enough to make Tinkerbell's stomach clench.

Weak? Yes, she was weak. She couldn't control anything. She couldn't _do_ anything the Never Never only knew how long the pixie's pointless existance would continue. The decades-long imprisionment in the mentallity and body of a seven-year-old batted away at Tinkerbell's recources until there was little left.

She thought she could help the community at least. That was why she agreed to become a guard, but that was merely a means for Moira to control the populace. Keep the outsiders out and the insiders minimally happy. No questions asked and if somehow questions managed to be asked, the askers become property of the colony, given barcodes and placed in a "working environment."

Working? Hah!

But nothing... Nothing had ever happened on one of little Angelina's shifts before the strange, cold boy wandered into practically the middle of Edge Park. It was then that she couldn't overcome her sense of duty. Keep the colony safe from outer environment infections. That was _the_ prime directive pounded into her for the last thirty years. She was wrong, but couldn't see that until it was too late. That was why she had to break Wufei out but, he didn't need her anymore.

It was all too much. Tinkerbell felt the light drain out of her body.

"Yes, Pirate. I am weak and you have won. It is enough. I cannot go on. Kill me if you must, but that boy will escape from this colony. He did not need my help, after all."

"If you're that willing to die, onna," Wufei began, cutting her binds, one-handed, with a dagger he'd taken from the Lieutenant, "Do it somewhere else. Now, get up."

Tinkerbell froze. He was helping her. Wufei was going to rescue his captor. "Why?" she managed to push past her shock and misery.

"Because I said to! What does it matter, anyway? Get moving."

"But-"

"Now!" Tinkerbell scrambled onto her feet, but couldn't tear her eyes from her rescuer. "How many times do I have to tell you? Run!"

She took off through the trees, blindly running for a few moments, before coming back to her senses. She couldn't leave Wufei behind. He was supposed to be escaping. She turned to head back to the clearing, when she heard the brush ahead of her rustling, like someone sprinting for his life.

"Wufei?" she called out, hoping past her fear that it was him and that he was safe.

"Angelina?" The pilot broke through the trees, snatching Tinkerbell's wrist as he flew past. Tinkerbell launched into a sprint, to match his before she was pulled to the ground. As their speed united, Wufei readjusted his grip to her hand. "It's not much further, just keep running!"

"What happened to Moira?"

"Save your breath. We'll talk later."

_Yes. If there is a later._ Tinkerbell held her tongue and kept her legs moving, until Wufei came to an abrupt halt.

"I hope you're not afraid of heights." That was the only warning of what was to come, before she found Wufei clinging tightly to her waist and they were rising in the air. The pixie looked down. Wufei's foot was in some sort of stirrup that was pulling them up into the clouds.

A moment of loss passed through the pixie's heart. How she missed the clouds, the breeze tearing her hair from its bun. How she missed her-

Oh, dear Never Never! How could she have forgotten? "I have to-" She struggled against his arms.

"Stop! I said save your breath. Now, save it."

"But-"

"More trouble than a monkey!" he mumbled, then, "We're here." 


	8. Chapter Seven

**Beyond Never Never**  
Chapter Seven: Duo

The morning sunlight spilled through the stark white sheers blowing in a floral scented breeze. Duo breathed in the fresh cool air and smiled. He opened his eyes and frowned.

Wufei stood over him with his infuriatingly non-committal expression. Duo managed a smile for his somewhat unwelcome guest. "Morning, sunshine! What the hell are you doing in my house at...," he checked the clock, "...six thirty-one in the morning?"

In response, Wufei merely stepped aside revealing a young girl with long blond hair. She wore a tattered orange dress that was several sizes too small and she could definately use a bath.

Duo jumped up and pulled on a shirt all in the same motion. "Who is this?" The question was directed at his friend but his eyes stayed locked on the figure of the girl.

"Her name is Angelina," said Wufei.

"Well, nice to meet ya, Angelina! I'm Duo Maxwell." He held out a hand. The girl flinched, stepping in closer to Wufei as if she could hide behind him. _Interesting._

Wufei took her hand and spoke softly. "Angelina, this is my good friend Duo. We are in his home and we are welcome."

_Welcome, eh? And "my good friend Duo?" Ri-ight._ Duo pasted a smile on his already happy face. "Absolutely! Mi casa es su casa, right? Make yourselves at home. I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Wufei took the hint and lead the still frightened Angelina out of Duo's bedroom.

"Damn," Duo muttered as he finished getting dressed for the day. "What have you brought into my house, Wufei?"

When Duo made his official appearance, Wufei had already helped himself to the contents of the refrigerator and was making a breakfast of hashed potatoes and steak. Angelina was sitting stiffly at the table, an untouched glass of milk in front of her. Duo finished braiding his hair, tossed the braid over his shoulder and plopped down on the opposite side of the table.

"I hope you're making enough for me. I'm starving!"

"Of course. It is your food." Typical Wufei answer.

Duo was dying to ask about Angelina again, but he knew that Wufei would only speak when he was ready and no amount of badgering would change that fact. His second choice would be to ask Angelina but he couldn't do that either. She was much too introverted. So, Duo got to wait. Quietly. He hated waiting quietly.

"I was talking to Quatre the other day and you won't believe what's going on over in the desert." Silence. "This is where you say, 'Oh, what's going on in the desert, Maxwell? Was it a sandstorm?' And then I say, 'Yeah, very funny, china-boy.' And then you draw your sword and then I cower. It's all good fun." Angelina giggled almost silently. Her laugh chimed like tiny silver bells.

"If I were to draw my sword, Maxwell, you wouldn't live long enough to cower and it certainly wouldn't be 'good fun'." Wufei slapped a steak on each of the three plates and then gave each a heaping spoonful of potatoes.

"Maybe not to you, but your little girlfriend thought it was funny." Angelina blushed and Wufei scowled and for Wufei that scowl was the equivalent of a blush.

_Very interesting._ "Let's eat, then you can tell me all about where you've been for the past couple of weeks." He clasped his hands together. "Thank you for the food. Dig in!"

After the meal was finished a calm settled over Duo. He allowed Wufei clear the dishes before bringing up the subject of his curiosity.

Wufei was running water to wash the dishes when Duo reached over and turned the faucet off. "Leave 'em. I'll take care of them later. Have a seat." Wufei dried his hands and took the chair next to his girl.

"Okay, spill it. I need to know what's going on. Why are you here, Wufei?"

Wufei nodded and began. "Two weeks ago, I received a mission to investigate Colony P-275. According to the missions details, there were reports of an unusually large amount of ships, potentially OZ ships, travelling to and from the colony. I was to survey the area to determine if there was an OZ secret base."

"On New Britian? The junkyard of the system? That place can't even hold orbit without help."

"My thoughts exactly, so I traced the origin of the order. It had been rerouted through every colony and several cities on Earth before the trace went dead in London, England." Angelina stiffened and snatched Wufei's arm.

"Something the matter, Angelina?" Duo asked as gently as he could manage.

She shook her head, releasing Wufei's arm. "I'm sorry. Go ahead."

Wufei watched her for a moment before continuing. "I knew the order hadn't come form my usual source, but it was still too dangerous to ignore. A surprise attack from a base on New Britian would devistate the resistance before anyone could determine what was happening."

"So, you went." It wasn't a question. Duo would have done the same thing, had their roles been reversed.

"So, I went. It shouldn't have been a difficult assignment. Go in. Gather recon. Get out. Easy."

Duo grinned. "Not so easy, I'm guessing."

"I ran headlong into a three-foot tall problem," he gritted through his teeth as Angelina glowed scarlet. Wufei then relayed the rest of his story, omitting nothing. He even included Angelina's growth spurt and mysterious powers.

Duo sat in silence for a full minute. He looked to Angelina. "Do you have anything to add? Like, maybe, who you really are?"


	9. Chapter Eight

**Beyond Never Never**  
Chapter Eight: Tinkerbell

"Do you have anything to add? Like, maybe, who you really are?"

Tinkerbell fought back the fear in her heart. She had never felt such fear-boiling anger and blinding jealousy she was accustomed to, but fear wasn't a normal part of a pixie's emotions. She just couldn't deal with it constantly nibbling away at the edges of her thoughts. Taking, stealing, sealing, choking, smothering-

Someone took her hand. "Angelina?" It was Wufei. "You don't have to answer, if you feel you can't."

Some of the nibbling drew back. He squeezed her hand and the fear retreated. It was like a window had been opened, allowing the fresh air to caress her mind. She looked up to Duo. "I can tell you, but you may not believe me."

Her host smiled, but she wasn't sure it was genuine. It was more like the mask he presented to the world. "That's alright. I just want to hear what you have to say, especially after what Wufei just told me. I know he's incapeable of lying just for kicks." Just good ol' Duo Maxwell. You can trust me. Yeah, right.

"If you just want to know my real name, I used to be called Tinkerbell."

"Used to be?" asked Duo without sarcasm.

"Tinkerbell was the name I used in my homeland. She was a fool who could not control her anger. She was a fool who clung to empty dreams. Her mother was forced to send her away on a mission to find happiness and to escape sorrow. The day she found paradise Tinkerbell ceased to be and Angelina arose to enjoy her new home.

"But my new home was no paradise. I was captured and imprisioned and forced into servitude as first a laborer and then as a guard. It was at this duty that I met, Mr. Wufei."

"But you were a child when you met him. How is that?"

Tinkerbell took a deep breath. "This is my true form. This is the form of Tinkerbell, she who left her home to find happiness. When I was captured, I met a woman from my homeland. She took something precious from me and I was trapped in the body of a seven-year old-Angelina's form." At this point, Tinkerbell had her eyes pasted on the floor. She couldn't take Duo's pseudo-pleasant expression any longer and she did not want to see what was surely written on Wufei's face.

"That doesn't really explain anything."

"Enough, Maxwell," came Wufei's still calm voice. "I didn't bring her here for interrogation." Duo snapped his mouth shut and had the good taste to look surprised. "I brought her here because I trusted you not to act like Heero. It doesn't matter who she is. I'll take her somewhere else if it makes you feel better."

Tinkerbell felt her heart contract. Wufei was staying by her. She couldn't stop the tears.

"Na-ah-" Duo's voice cracked. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Nah. You're right. I'm sorry. You can stay."

"Are you sure? I don't want to be afraid of loosing her if I have to leave this house."

She knew Wufei didn't mean it exactly the way it sounded, but her heart began to throb and the tears gushed forth with wanton abandon.

"Honest, Wufei. You are both welcome here. You can stay as long as you like. I won't bring this up again."

"Fine."

"Well, I've got stuff to do," she heard Duo stand up, "so, feel free to use the shower, bath, whatever and you know where the guestroom is. I'll make sure to pick up some new clothes for Angelina. Until then, just pick through my closet." He left the room.

It got really quiet after Duo left. The tears wouldn't cease and Tinkerbell was on the verge of sobbing when Wufei turned her face up to meet his eyes. There was real concern behind them.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know he was going to give you the third-degree. He's not usually like that. I didn't expect it out of him and I should have."

He was blaming himself for her tears. Tinkerbell shook her head.

Wufei took her other hand. "Why are you crying?"

No one ever cared that she cried before, except her mother and her mother had sent her away. "Why... why do you care?"

He looked shocked for a moment, then he looked down to his hands grasping hers. "I don't know," he said to their hands. "You were crying before in the park. There weren't any tears, but I could tell you had given up all hope. My sense of duty wouldn't have allowed me to leave you with that woman, but seeing that I didn't _want_ to leave you with her, I couldn't stand to see you crying. I wanted you to come with me so I could make sure nothing ever made you cry again. But, now you're crying. How useless am I?"

"No," she managed through the tears. _I'm not crying because I'm sad._ She reached out for him. 


	10. Chapter Nine

**Beyond Never Never**  
Chapter Nine: Duo

The girl definately knew more than she was letting on and whatever it was she was hiding was something that could bring harm to herself and to others. Duo did not want that kind of trouble under his roof without a better understanding of what was to come. But he also did not want to refuse Wufei. Wufei does not need help. Wufei does not ask for help. _So, why is he in my apartment cuddling with a cute little thing as if I'd invited him to stay the weekend?_

It was a thought that nagged. _I didn't know Wufei understood the meaning of the word "affection" and now he's protecting that girl like she's his first born child... Or, I guess, for Wufei, his sword. Where am I going anyway?_ Duo looked up to find that he'd wandered for eight blocks in his musing. Fortunately, that put him exactly where he wanted to be.

He pulled out a bright red vid-comm card and swiped it through the reader. The screen prompted for a number. Duo punched it in and waited.

A dark skinned man answered with a rude, "Oy?"

"Hey, Aziz. Can I speak to the main man?" Duo grinned maniacally into the camera.

"You again?"

"Aw. C'mon, Aziz. You know I love you."

The dark man frowned back. "I know you love to get the master into trouble."

"Peace, Big Guy. I just want to talk to him."

Aziz frowned in concentration. "That had better be all."

"It is. Honest." He cocked his head at an angle and batted his eyelashes.

He frowned and then turned his head. "Master Quatre! Vid-comm!" he shouted.

"I see your communications skills are still top notch."

"Dry up and die, American," was Aziz's parting shot.

"Hello there, Duo," came Quatre's sweet voice before he had made it into the camera's view. "It's been a while."

Duo laughed. "It's been, like, six days. You that bored over there in the desert?"

"Unfortunately," he said with a sigh. "Or, I guess, fortunately. Nothing bad is happening at the moment anyway. But here you are."

"Ouch! I'm not the harbinger of doom, you know."

Quatre laughed. "All right, Death. What can I help you with?"

Duo did his fair best to appear serious. "What would you say if I told you that at this very moment Wufei was in _my_ house _cuddling with a girl?_"

"By 'girl,' you mean 'of the female persuasion?' And by 'cuddling,' you mean _'cuddling!'_"

"Bingo!"

Quatre rubbed his forehead. "I'd say you need to lay off the quadruple-espresso a la mode and any perscription or non-perscription drugs you might currently be indulging in. However, I know you wouldn't lie about that. It's just too unbelievable."

"Believe, buddy, 'cause it is _so_ true."

"Okay, so what's the topping on this unexpected sundae of shock?"

Duo explained as succinctly as possible, ending with, "I was wondering if you could cross-reference the name 'Tinkerbell' with London, OZ and New Britian to see if anything comes up. I figured you'd have better resources since you're still on Earth."

"Not a problem," replied the blonde, jotting down some notes. "But, Duo?"

"Yeah?"

He clasped his hands together and grinned innocently. "Can I be the one to tell Heero? I've just got to know if _this_ will crack that demenor of his."

Duo genuinely smiled. "Sorry, man. Dibs!"


	11. Chapter Ten

**Beyond Never Never**  
Chapter Ten: Wufei

For the first time in his life Wufei felt completely trapped. Angelina had her arms wrapped around him and was sobbing into the front of his shirt. He couldn't stop her tears and he was almost glad of that. If she continued to cry he'd have a reason to keep holding her, but if she stopped he'd have the opportunity to free himself of her hold.

He finally decided to just allow her tears to run out and to ignore the nagging sense of confinement.

"I'm sorry," Angelina said, her voice hoarse from strain.

Wufei was shocked by these words. "Why are you sorry? You have nothing to apologize for."

"I can never do anything right." She loosened her grip on Wufei, but didn't let go entirely. "I couldn't keep myself out of Moira's hands. I couldn't help you escape. I can't even stop crying for you now. I was always a crybaby. Always crying, but I want you to know that I'm not unhappy just because I'm crying. I'm really crying because I'm so happy." She fell silent for a moment.

"No one has ever thought of my happiness before." She looked up and caught his eye. "No one that I wanted to care."

Wufei's chest tightened. He took a deep breath to try and slow his pounding heart, but it just continued to beat harder and harder. He put a hand to his forehead and then jumped up as the room began to spin. "Ah... Let me get you some towels. The shower is that way." He pointed to the bathroom, purposely avoiding looking at Angelina.

"Towels... Towels..." he muttered, practically clawing his way into Maxwell's infernally unlatchable linen closet. The door unexpectedly popped open, smacking Wufei in the head. He rubbed the injury and then properly opened the door. Inside, there were towels and washcloths in every color of the rainbow, arranged in order and an extra stack of pastel shades. The assault of color pulled the pilot up short. He paused for a moment, pondering which color Angelina might enjoy most, but then he realized the direction of his thoughts and just grabbed what was on top.

When he turned back to the kitchen, Angelina had already made her way into the bathroom and closed the door. He knocked. "I'll just leave these outside the door, alright?"

There was a second of silence before she responded. "That's fine." It was a light tone similar to the "I'm through," she had given to that crazy onna on New Britain.

He opened his mouth to protest that it didn't _sound_ fine when the shower came on and drowned out anything he would have said.

He scoffed at the bathroom door and then made himself busy searching the closet for some appropriate clothing. Nothing even came close to "appropriate." First of all, everything was black. What was that maniac's obsession with black? And what wasn't black was white and what wasn't either was clearly too old. And to top it off, it was all much too big.

Pick through his closet? Indeed. "You did this on purpose, Maxwell," he mumbled snatching the closest suit hanger.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Beyond Never Never**  
Chapter Eleven: Duo

Duo's little shopping trip was a bit more stressful than he first imagined. First of all, he didn't know the first thing about women's clothing. Next, he forgot to ask Miss Angelina what size she wore, so he found himself in a ladies boutique, surrounded by floral patterns and sequins--When the hell did _sequins_ come back into fashion?--and he hadn't a clue where to begin. He wandered over to the nearest rack of flower print summer dresses and shuffled through a few. He actually took the time to rate each one according to his own fashion sense. They all failed. They were either too bright or too frilly. Aw! Who was he kidding? Shopping for girl's clothes... Maxwell, you've definately hit rock bottom.

"Excuse me, sir? Is there anything I can help you find? Shopping for your girlfriend?" The salesgirl approached with a big, pasted on smile. She was taller than Duo by at least a foot which completely warred with the fact that she was of asian descent. Her jet black hair was pulled up in braided buns near the top of her head and her makeup was tasteful, instead of plastered on as so many girls were going for these days. She wore a soft yellow patterened mini-skirt with a matching solid top with cap sleeves and her choice of footwear was knee high green suede boots. Yeah, she could definately help.

Duo fluffed his bangs and flashed her his winning smile. "Actually, it's for my little sister and I am _completely_ lost."

Her pasted on smile turned genuine. "Well, we'll just see what we can do, won't we?"

* * *

"I'm ho-ome!" He wasn't greeted by the cheerful shout of, "Welcome Home!" He wasn't even greeted by the less enthusiastic, "Hn," that he was expecting. Instead, he was greeted by silence. "Love ya, too, guys," Duo mumbled, hauling in the seven bags of clothes and accessories he'd been talked into buying. Man, that Reilin was persuasive! He toed his shoes off and flopped his purchases onto the couch for safekeeping before searching the rest of the house for his guests. "Guys? Hello, anyone home?"

"Kitchen," he heard from the same location. Wufei was seated at the table, reading a printout and sipping a cup of tea. Oolong, from the smell of it.

"Anything of interest?" the American asked, indicating the printout. The response was a shake of the head and another sip of tea. "Angie sleeping?"

"Angelina. Yes, Angelina is sleeping. She passed out after her shower."

He couldn't avoid it. Duo grinned. "Woah, Fei! Didn't know you had it in you, man! I'm proud of ya!" Before he'd gotten the "I'm proud of ya," out, Duo found himself face to face with the pissed off Chinese youth, a hand tangled in his hair and something metal threatening the tender flesh of his neck.

"Say that again, Maxwell." The demand was quiet, but it burned with the intensity of the sun on a freaking hot day.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Peace! Damn, Fei! You know I'm only kidding!" He swallowed hard. "Is that a spoon?"

Wufei released his victim, placing the spoon on the saucer of his teacup. "I do not appreciate that type of kidding."

"I'm sorry," Duo repeated rubbing his throat. "I'll remember that." Why was it he could go up against twenty mobile dolls and not break a sweat, but when Wufei gave him that look and threatened his life with a dull, and bendable, piece of metal he practically died of heart failure. Okay, in all reality, it was the look that stopped his heart. Duo had never seen Wufei more than moderately unsettled. Pissed off beyond recognition was a new look for the Chinese boy. It was probably good for Wufei. Probably. But, why'd it have to be directed at him?

_Because you're an ass, Duo Maxwell._ Good answer.

The American fished out a cup and saucer, poured out some tea for himself and took the chair opposite of his friend's. "I picked up a few things for Angie-baby. Thought-"

"Angelina," Wufei interrupted.

"Sorry?"

Wufei put down his reading to catch Duo's eye. "Her name is Angelina or Lina. Call her Angie and die. Her quote, not mine," he offered.

_Really?_ "Spunky little thing, ain't she?"

"You have no idea."

"So, fill me in, then." Wufei frowned. "Listen, I'm not trying to pry into anything you don't want to get into. I'm just curious and I'm bored. And you know that a bored Maxwell is a dangerous Maxwell." There was no response, except for the relief of the frown. "I just got stuck for four hours in a girl store shopping for girl stuff with a girl. Actually, that part wasn't too bad, but still. Four hours of girly girl stuff. Can't you feed my curiosity a little tidbit? Just an insy nibble? An itsy bitsy woo woo? A-"

"Alright! Alright, just shut up." The American complied by miming that he'd locked his lips together and swallowed the key. "What is it you want to know, O Doomed Cat?"

_A joke? Wufei cracked a joke? Can it, Maxwell! You'll never get this opportunity again._ "Why'd you bring her with you? You had to know she'd be nothing but trouble. I know that you know that woman from New Britian is going to come looking for her."

Wufei took a sip before responding. "I don't really know."

"Okay, then, why bring her here?"

"Where else should I have taken her?" he reasoned, looking down at the tabletop. "I have no idea where Trowa is right now, Heero would probably just kill her for good measure and _I_ certainly don't have anyplace safe for her to live."

"What about Quatre? I'm sure the Maganacs have enough room for one more. It only takes a few hours to get to Earth from here."

Wufei mumbled something under his breath. "What was that?"

"I said, there's too many factors in the whole Maganac thing. I don't trust Quatre to keep her safe."

Duo finished his tea in one big gulp. "But you trust me?" Even to his own ears, he sounded stunned.

"Yes, Maxwell. I do."


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Beyond Never Never**  
Chapter Twelve: Tinkerbell

"Guys? Hello, anyone home?"

The cheery inquiry was muffled, but out of place enough to yank Tinkerbell awake all at once. She froze from the unfamiliar atmosphere, mind frantically scanning her memories of the last two days. She had made her decision. She helped Wufei to escape and _he had brought her along_. Her heart soared. She was off of New Britain. She was free. She was-

The soaring crashed. Moira still possessed her wings. She would never be free.

"Never never," she mumbled into her pillow as another thought occurred to her. Wufei... It felt so right when he held her in his arms, so peaceful until he pushed her away. He didn't want her either. Just like...

She sat up, batting at her unaccustomed length of hair and taking a deep breath. This was no time to go all-moonstruck. There were already enough problems from the last time she'd permitted such a weakness. Hook-on-a-pogo-stick! That's why she lost her wings in the first place!

She was awake now and might as well make use of the daylight. The pixie established that the shirt she was sleeping in was indeed long enough to cover up everything and then wandered out of the guestroom toward the voices in the kitchen.

"Why'd you bring her with you? You had to know she'd be nothing but trouble." _Well, excuse me, Mr. Duo! It's not like I asked to be here!_ "I know that you know that woman from New Britain is going to come looking for her." Her irritability subsided a bit as Tinkerbell realized that his tone was more one of confusion than hostility.

There was silence for a moment, then Wufei responded, "I don't really know." There was a sadness underlying that statement, like he was regretful of something. She snuck closer, peering through the crack of the door hinges.

Both boys were seated at opposite sides of the little round table, sipping tea. Wufei had a stack of papers at his left elbow, that he seemed intent on fingering every few seconds. Mr. Duo's side of the table was bare, save his teacup and saucer.

"Okay, then, why bring her here?"

"Where else should I have taken her? I have no idea where Trowa is right now, Heero would probably just kill her for good measure," _Kill me?_ "And _I_ certainly don't have anyplace safe for her to live."

"What about Quatre? I'm sure the Maganacs have enough room for one more. It only takes a few hours to get to Earth from here."

What were they talking about? Maganacs? Quatre? Why would someone want to kill her for good measure? Who was Wufei really?

"I don't trust him," Wufei mumbled.

"What was that?"

The Chinese boy gave his tea a hard glare. "I said, there's too many factors in the whole Maganac thing. I don't trust Quatre to keep her safe."

Why would he want to keep her safe? She _was_ his enemy. Why would he take on that responsibility?

The American threw back his tea. "But you trust me?" he gasped out.

"Yes, Maxwell. I do."

The silence went on for several seconds with only a heartbeat in her ears meting out the time.

"Oi, Lina!" The pixie jumped. "You don't have to skulk about. C'mon in." Tinkerbell blushed at being discovered but, unlike the false gaiety of their last encounter, the braided boy's invitation sounded sincere.

Wufei gave the tiniest of starts and flipped over the stack of papers as the pixie made her way into the room and chose the chair opposite the door.

"Tea?" asked her host. She declined with a shake of the head. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I was such an ass to you." Tinkerbell felt her eyes go wide.

"Watch your language in the presence of a lady, Maxwell." It wasn't a request.

"Oh, sorry. Again." Mr. Duo covered Tinkerbell's hand with his own. "I may be an as-er-jerk, but I know you were standing outside that door long enough to have some questions. It's your turn to interrogate us."

She looked up and he was grinning, not that she'd ever seen him not grin. She did have questions, but-

"If we don't like the question we just won't answer. I never lie. Wufei on the other hand-" He paused under the Chinese boy's death glare. "Well, you get the idea. Go ahead."

She swallowed a lump of doubt, retroactively wishing she'd accepted the tea. "Who are you? I don't mean just your names. I mean, who are you really? What are you?"

"I'm Death!" replied Mr. Duo cheerily. "Shinigami!" Wufei reached over the table and smacked Death square in the head. "Ow! Damn man! That hurt!" He rubbed at the injury. "Why are you so intent on beating me today?"

The Chinese boy ignored the whining. "That is something we must decline to answer."

"Yeah, if we told ya, we'd have to kill ya!" supplied Mr. Duo with a thumbs-up.

_Um... Okay..._ Were these two for real? They were acting like children. She took a mental step back. They _were_ children. Up until now, they had acted in such an adult manner that the pixie failed to accept them as anything but what they presented to the world. Tinkerbell was sure they had been forced into this early adulthood by circumstances the world had presented them. _This_ must be why so many children had found the path to Neverneverland. This was why so many chose to never grow up.

A hand waving madly centimeters in front of her nose pulled her out of her dissection. "Uh? Lina? We're not gonna kill you right now." Her host gave her another all-purpose smile as she met his eyes. "Maybe after dessert?"

This time the American managed to block the flying blow. He stuck out his tongue to rub in the victory.

Tinkerbell couldn't hold back a laugh at the sight of Wufei's fallen face. It was like he'd been denied the heavens, so distraught over a little blocked smack.

"Ha! She's giggling!" Mr. Duo clapped her on the shoulder. "That was all you, Wu-man!"

The look of devastation transformed into one of mirth. It was slight, and didn't involve anything so damming as an actual smile, but his eyes sparkled. "Weren't we supposed to be answering questions?" he managed past a half-hearted scowl.

The braided boy slapped a fist into his opposite hand. "I forgot! Please go ahead."

Tinkerbell knew that her line of questioning would eventually dwindle down to one all-encompassing question, but she was loath to screw up the courage to ask. Instead she settled on, "Who were all those people you kept mentioning? Katra? Hilo? The Maga- Magna- Somethings?"

"Quatre, Heero and Trowa are some friends of ours." Wufei enunciated the names carefully. "The Maganacs are part of a desert tribe of Arabia. They are Quatre's friends."

Arabia? The name sounded familiar. "Arabia? Is that like in 'Arabian Nights'?"

Wufei looked meaningfully to Mr. Duo. "Beats me!" he exclaimed. "What's 'Arabian Nights'?"

"It's a story about a thief named Ali Baba and there is magic and swordfights! Of all the stories the Wendy told, we liked that one the most. The Wendy would always tell that one if Peter asked. Actually, the Wendy would do anything that Peter asked." She broke off. The boys were staring.

"Who's Wendy?" asked Mr. Duo as Wufei simultaneously asked, "Who's Peter?"

The two sets of eyes stayed firmly locked on her face. "Just some people from my homeland." A little cough. "Aren't I supposed to be asking the questions?" she reasoned, weaseling her way out of the explanation.

An arm shot straight into the air. "Yes," replied the American.

Mr. Duo was really hamming it up, but she couldn't resist his schoolboy charm. "Then, why do you keep usurping my role?"

"It's more fun that way. Next question!"


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Beyond Never Never**  
Chapter Thirteen: Wufei

_Actually, the Wendy would do anything that Peter asked._

The flesh at the base of his neck was burning and his stomach decided to cartwheel in uncontrolled spasms.

What Angelina left unspoken was that she wanted to be in Wendy's place. She wanted this Peter to ask _her_ for stories. She wanted this Peter to see her and only her.

Angelina was in love with Peter.

"Who's Peter?" he repeated over the current topic of discussion.

The girl froze, her smile melting from her lips. She pulled a fist to her chest, eyes fixed on the table. "Peter was a boy I knew. He was..." she breathed, voice soft enough to be almost nonexistent. Her blue, blue eyes moved up to catch his in a quiescent gaze. "He was everything to me.

"I told you before that I was a fool who clung to empty dreams. He didn't want me. He loved Wendy and I hated her for that. The anger and the desire for that which I would never possess are what drove my mother to dismiss me. I left to try and forget him."

The scalding fingers of what could only be jealousy scraped down the pilot's breast, rending his heart into tatters, freeing the ugly beast within. "Where is this Peter now?" he spit out like a bite of rotten flesh.

"Why do you want to know?"

_Because I'll destroy him for hurting you!_

"You going to beat him up?" The serene expression remained, but the inflection was bitterly sarcastic.

"It was a thought," he admitted.

"And why would you do that?" Angelina asked, all traces of bitterness vanished.

Well, it would definitely make _him_ feel a lot better. He broke the gaze, thrashing for an appropriate response, groping for some assistance from-

At some point, Maxwell had fled. "A real man would never cause a woman to cry."

She gave a tiny smile that didn't reach her eyes. "That isn't your concern. He didn't _make_ me cry. I did, all on my own."

He swallowed back that it _was_ his concern. She was right. It wasn't any of his business, but that realization didn't still the churning of his insides.

"Peter's dead," she said suddenly. "He died a long time ago. I never told him and he went on with his life. I wasn't there, but I know he died happy."

Considering Angelina couldn't be more than fourteen, that last statement was cryptic enough to knock the jealously right out of his system.

"You don't have to protect me, you know. I was doing just fine surviving before you came into my life."

She was doing just fine surviving? Wufei gently slid up the right sleeve of her shirt to expose an ugly tattoo, fingers brushing across the coded black lines. "This is not 'doing just fine' and you shouldn't have to just survive. Like everyone else you have a right to live and be happy and like everyone else the only way to accomplish that is to allow yourself to be protected. I've failed once-- more than once-- in my mission to protect the innocent. I refuse to fail again." His hold slipped to her fingers.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Author: Rally  
Date: November 13, 2006

**Beyond Never Never**  
Chapter Fourteen: Duo

Duo beat a hasty exit as soon as Wufei had pressed the whole "Peter" issue. Could he have been any more transparent? The boy had it bad. Now, whether or not Wufei was willing to own up to the fact was another matter entirely and Duo did _not_ want to get caught in the middle of a lover's spat. It wasn't his business, it wasn't his responsibility and he never knew what to say in a situation like that anyway.

With the kitchen off limits, he had nowhere to escape to in the apartment, so decided to take a walk. Walking led to boredom and boredom led to DeathScythe. A perfect cure for boredom was hanging out with your buddies, right? Okay, so running routing checks and making minor repairs wasn't the most interesting thing Duo could've been doing, it did allow him to relax. He hadn't realized how stressed he'd been since Wufei invaded his home until he felt the tension ease out of his shoulders and he could have swore that his posture actually got straighter as he hunched over a control panel.

The message light blinked a silent amber. Duo wiped his hands on his pants, climbed inside the cockpit and then sealed the hatch. The code indicated the message was from Sandrock. Duo smiled and palmed the accept key. Quatre's boyish face appeared without a boyish expression. His forehead was wrinkled and his mouth had a distinctive downward curve. He was worried about something.

"Lay it on me," Duo demanded.

"I'm glad you don't have to wait for this."

"Why? What's wrong?"

Quatre's frown intensified and he took a slow breath. "I got some hits on the name 'Tinkerbell' but it they turned out to be completely irrelevant."

Irrelevant or impossible? Duo thought back to his conversation with Angelina, tried not to look too eager when he asked, "Irrelevant how?"

"Oh, um... They were all in reference to some book written in the twentieth century. I couldn't get all the details because there don't seem to be any copies of the book left." Quatre's eyes started to shine. "Duo, you don't mind, right?"

"Mind? Of course not, Quat. It's not your fault the stupid thing's out of print."

"That's not what I meant," Quatre rudely interrupted. Duo closed his mouth on the next thing he was going to say. Quatre was _never_ rude. "I told Trowa." Now, that had come out in a reasonable tone.

"May I ask why?" He wasn't angry, just curious.

"He's a good reference," was the immediate reply. "Trowa spends some of his time with the circus, right? Circus folk are people of tradition. They're storytellers, so I thought that he might know someone who is familiar with the story in the book."

That made sense, but it still didn't explain Quatre's obvious unease. "So, did ol' Unibang know anything?"

"The story was modified into a play by a theater troupe that sometimes performs with his circus."

"He _does_ know the story then!"

"No, but Catherine does. She performed the lead female role, Wendy, for an entire summer."

Duo's jaw dropped. "What did you say the name of the play was?"

"I didn't. It's 'Peter Pan.'"

_Actually, the Wendy would do anything that Peter asked._ Wendy. Peter. It was too much to just be coincidence. "And who was Tinkerbell?"

"I don't know."

"Is the play showing now?" There was a desperate fluttering growing in Duo's chest.

"I think so. Why?"

Why? Duo didn't really know either. "I need to see that play, Quatre."

Quatre took a moment to observe his friend. "Tell me what's wrong, Duo." It was a command not a question.

"Not now." Duo waved Quatre off with one hand, while he was making reservations on the six o'clock shuttle and securing four tickets to the "Greatest Show in the System" with the other. "Just meet me at the port at eight."

"Okay?" Quatre agreed uncertainly.

Duo cut the transmission, slipped out of DeathScythe, meticulously locked the hangar up and ran back to his apartment. He needed to collect his dates.

"Wufei? Angelina?" He didn't bother to take off his shoes. The shuttle left in less than thirty minutes.

"Here." It was Wufei, but it came from the guest room. It sounded like Angelina wasn't forced to do anything drastic to the overbearing pilot. Like break his nose.

Wufei was helping Angelina put her new wardrobe away. Angelina had already changed into one of the outfits Reilin had said a girl couldn't live without and Duo had to admit, Angelina looked cute. Duo shook his head. This was not the time.

"Something came up," he began.

"I understand, Maxwell," Wufei replied not taking his attention from the dress he was hanging up in the closet. "You don't need our permission to go."

"Um...no... That's not what I meant." Without further explanation Duo grabbed both of his guests by the wrists. "You're coming along."

Wufei wrenched his arm free and in the following fluid motion freed Angelina's as well. "Maxwell, don't-"

"Please?" Duo begged, eyes wide. "The shuttle leaves in twenty minutes. I'll explain everything during the trip." His eyes were as wide as he could make them and they were generously glazed with just the right amount of glistening saline. Duo wasn't entirely sure Wufei would be prone to the pleading eyes of a lost, starving puppy who'd just lost his master in a tragic traffic accident, but he had to try. And Duo never tried anything without giving it his best.

The Chinaman made a sound in the back of his throat but in the end he conceded.

* * *

"The circus is important, Maxwell?" Two hours in a shuttle did nothing but bad things to Chang Wufei's temper. It didn't help that Quatre was late.

Duo did his best to make his tone reassuring. "You'll see when we get there. Just be patient."

"Duo? Wufei?"

"Oop! There's my other date! Quat!" Duo raised a hand to wave Quatre over. "Er... Dates. How's it hangin' Trowa?"

Quatre, with Trowa in tow, made his way over to the trio.

Duo gestured Angelina forward. "Quatre, Trowa, this is Angelina. Angelina, these are our friends Trowa and Quatre."

"A pleasure to meet you." Trowa simply nodded. Quatre, however, bowed, took Angelina's hand and then placed a light kiss on the back of it. The perfect image of a gentleman.

Wufei fixed a glare on Quatre's hand until Angelina's was released. Duo almost smiled at that look of undisguised jealousy. Almost. He liked the idea that Wufei was opening himself up to emotion, but he wasn't sure it was being handled properly.

The blonde seemed to pick up on the glare. He released the girl's hand, taking a full step away from her.

"I got you a ticket," announced Duo in an attempt to break the crackling atmosphere. "Sorry, Trow, didn't know you were coming."

"What?" asked the blonde as he took the ticket from Duo. "'Cause I can't afford my own?"

"Poor people," moaned Duo in a mocking lament.

"Poor people, my ass."

Duo whirled around at _that_ voice. "Hee-Heero? What are you doing here?" Duo swallowed a lump in his throat. "And watch your language! There's a lady present!"

"What am I doing here?" Heero shot, turning to Quatre. "That's a good question." Quatre shrunk a little, but only a little, under that intent gaze. "All five-" his gaze shifted to Angelina for a second, "-of us in one place. That's a little dangerous, don't you think?"

"What can I say, the gang's all here," supplied the blonde with false cheer. "Heero, I don't believe you've met Angelina."

To be continued...


End file.
